Long-Lived Spin Coherence in a Densely Populated Stoichiometric Rare-Earth Crystal
Phys. Rev. Lett. 137, 153601 – Published 6 October, 2026
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1103/hk6v-6bp3
Abstract
Dense rare-earth spin ensembles in solids offer strong collective light-matter coupling for scalable quantum technologies but are typically incompatible with long coherence times due to strong dipolar interactions. Here we challenge this paradigm by showing long-lived coherence in such systems. In a stoichiometric crystal, we achieve hyperfine coherence times of up to 15 s at 4 K, extending the zero-field value of 1.28 ms by more than four orders of magnitude using dynamical decoupling at a zero-first-order Zeeman (ZEFOZ) transition. Homogeneous linewidth measurements reveal a substantial suppression of resonant spin interactions introduced by the full concentration near the ZEFOZ point. Coherence remains resilient to strong local perturbations, with a 32 ms coherence time for ions adjacent to dopants. These results establish stoichiometric rare-earth crystals as a promising platform for quantum memories and spin-photon interfaces, demonstrating that intrinsically high optical depth and long-lived spin coherence can coexist in a fully concentrated ensemble.